Staff report
At least three people are confirmed dead after two cars were hit by a tractor-trailer Monday on Interstate 35 just south of Gainesville at exit 494.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the three people killed as Anthony and Kimberly Brandon of Bedford and Darryl Hoosier, 55, of Lafayette, La.
Trooper Mark Tackett said an 18-wheeler driven by James Crayton, 59, of Dallas, apparently never slowed before slamming into the rear car of the backup. That car, driven by Anthony Brandon with wife, Kimberly, as passenger, exploded on impact, killing both. No ages for the Brandons were available.
Tackett said the truck then slammed into another car, injuring Carroll Whaley, 63, and his wife, Linda Whaley, 61, of Yalaha, Fla.
Tackett said the 18-wheeler then rammed the car driven by Hoosier into the rear of another 18-wheeler, killing him. The driver of the second truck was not injured.
Tackett said Crayton was taken to a Gainesville hospital for blood testing and questioning. No charges were filed.
Until the roadway was cleared of the wreck detritus, the traffic was re-routed off I-35 to FM 922, to U.S. 377 to FM 902 to Grand Ave., to I-35.
Cooke County Sheriff Mike Compton also confirmed the three deaths and said one person had been medivac’d to possibly a hospital in Fort Worth.
Compton said the vehicles were backed up on I-35 because of the continuing construction at the Elm Creek bridge when a “big heavy truck hit some cars.”
Justice of the Peace Dorthy Lewis added, “There was a backup on I-35 from the construction. An 18-wheeler just ran into the back of cars. He clipped another 18-wheeler and hit three cars. Two were killed in one car and one was taken by CareFlite to a hospital. In another car, one was killed and one was taken (by ambulance) to the hospital.”
Compton expressed frustration at the hazard posed by the maintenance work at the bridge, noting another accident which occurred over the Fourth of July holiday and killed two people.
“You’ve got two people burned up and one person killed. This makes five people who are dead in the past 30 days because of all the construction on this bridge,” Compton said.
The Texas Department of Transportation awarded a $200,000 contract to KKM Construction of Texarkana, Ark. TxDOT Wichita Falls District spokeswoman Adele Lewis says KKM is far behind on the project.
“They have a 45-day contract. Their 45 days ends either today or tomorrow,” she said. Failure to meet the deadline means “liquidated damages,” in which TxDOT starts to dock the contractor for its contracted compensation, she said.
“We fully intend to hit them with liquidated damages,” she said.
Phone calls to KKM were met with busy signals.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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